And as the Wind Blows: Epidemic in Hoenn
by Ike Redlark
Summary: Horror. Darkness slowly covers the face of Hoenn. It stared with a few Linoone dying from a vicious disease, then it moved on to other species. The acclaimed Dr. Juniper stands firm against the fight to find a cure, will he be too late? Or is there more?
1. Prologue: Before the Storm

_This is my 3rd FanFic on this site, hopefully it's my best work yet. Please review if you can, I love hearing feedback. You can also find me on the PE2K Forums, Serebii Forums, and sometimes on the IoE forums._

_Redlark_

**And as the Wind Blows: Epidemic in Hoenn**

**Prologue: Before the Storm**

The day began with a seemingly peaceful sunrise. But contrary to what the weatherman had said, a slow-moving storm formation had been creeping up on the northern shores of the entire Hoenn region. As some superstitious sailors had warned; "a real mean typhoon was ready to eat Hoenn alive."

It was late March and Professor Birch was leading his class in the beginning of the new term course. Birch and a good handful of his best students were all sitting in his lab observing a Vulpix create small flares, when an unexpected visitor slowly came through the doors.

She wasn't tall and she wasn't short. Straight dusty blonde hair went down to her shoulders. She wore a plain black hoody sweater with a few quickly sewn patches of her favorite metal bands: "Ghastly Gravediggers," the "Murkrow Mob," etc. Average glasses placed on a pretty face, gemmed with deep sapphire eyes. This was Beth.

It had been a month since she graduated from the Pewter City Pokemon Academy, and a fortnight since she landed her internship with Professor Birch.

Being a very proficient trainer, she was offered a position as a Gym Leader. But declining, she was the epitome of a dedicated researcher.

Birch's class looked over to Beth who had just walked in. Professor Birch, still fascinated with the Vulpix, had a delayed glance followed by a geeky smile.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you had a class at this time," Beth apologized.

"No bother," Birch said. "Are you Beth?"

"Yeah."

"Class," Birch started. "This is the intern I told you all about. Come on, Beth. Stick around and stay for the class."

Beth agreed and the class session went on. Professor Birch was explaining the basic chemical mechanics of what was happening inside the Vulpix. Beth knew the lesson plan, it was the basic lecture trainers sometimes received by their teachers.

At the end of class, Birch asked Beth if she recognized the lesson. Beth complied, and added that she had taken courses on the biochemistry behind the different fire type Pokemon. A little smile went across Beth's face as she walked to Birch's chalkboard. Grabbing a piece of chalk, Beth began drawing stick diagrams and explained the complex mechanics behind even the simples of Ember attacks of a Charmander.

Birch smiled, "I'm glad to see that the Pewter City Academy has kept it's tradition of elite scientists."

Beth smiled.

"But no need to flaunt knowledge here. I've seen enough brown nosers in my time. The best wise men stay humble."

Beth laughed, took in Birch's wisdom, and agreed.

Just then, Birch's computer phone started ringing. Answering, the screen showed a familiar face. Dr. Juniper, an elderly gentleman with almost no hair but several last strands of white that lived in solitude on his bald head. He wore thick large bifocals, but looking into his eyes, it was obvious he had forgotten to sleep that past week. The usually jolly old man had dark bags under his eyes and breathed heavily. "Birch, I've got a serious problem here," he blurted, interrupting Birch's usually warm welcome.

"What's wrong doctor?" Birch asked.

Biting his bottom lip, Juniper's eyes seem to glaze over. In the past fifty-eight years I've been a doctor; I've seen practically every disease and poisoning work it's dirt on Human and Pokemon alike." Closin ghis eyes, Juniper gritted his teeth and in a fit of desperate frustration, he band his fist on his desk. Glass test tubes and flasks clanked beside him as he yelled, "I have NEVER! Never failed so horribly!!"

"Juniper!," Birch snapped. "Calm down. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," Juniper said. "Last week," he breathed in deeply, held his air for a second, exhaled softly. "Last week, a Linoone died in the Fortree City PokeCenter from an unknown illness. The Linoone experienced high fevers; degeneration of lungs, which led to bad coughing; failure of kidneys; some degeneration of blood vessals, which led to severe internal bleeding; and most of all, crippling body aches.

"I was in Rustburo the night the Linoon died, but was working on another patient with similar ailments. Difference was, I was working on a Sandshrew. If it's the same virus, logically it's already made it's species jump.

"A day after the Linoone died, I headed for Fortree thinking the Sandshrew was going to have good progress. That night, the Sandshrew died. The Chansey nursing him fell sick that morning.

"Back at Fortree, I soon was confronted with five more patients with the similar virus. Another Linoon, a Zigzagoon, a Plusle, and strangest of all, two Oddishs."

"What?"

"That's exactly what I thought! I thought being of plants, an Oddish would have been the last Pokemon to get sick.

"All five of those patients have died already, and this week fourteen more have died… On MY hospital beds!!

"And damn it, Birch! The nurses and I have tried hard to keep the local press from panicking, but I just got word yesterday that Rustburo has a new case and Lilycove has just gotten two cases!"

"Oh my…" Birch said silently.

A heavy ball grew in Dr. Juniper's throat, causing him to be speechless for a second. Then the Doctor turned away from the screen hacking a scratchy-wheezing cough of an old man losing air.

"Juniper! Are you alright?," Birch asked.

"Yes," Juniper said softly. He turned back towards the telecamera. "Fifty-eight years, Birch. Fifty-eight years." A small tear ran down the old doctor's face, finding it's path in the wrinkles. "I'm a failure to my profession."

"Don't say that," Birch reassured. "You've won the Nobel Science twice. You've even won the prestigious Dr. Lylewood. You're the best in your field."

"And I can't even save a few more lives anymore…," Juniper whispered. Another ball grew in the Doctor's throat. "And," Juniper paused. "I…," the words were harder to say than he thought, so he avoided the true desperate topic at hand. "The virus," he said calmly. "It's a very fast mutating bug that seems to be most contagious through body fluids and coughs." Juniper paused once more then finally couldn't hold in his secret, "And I think I've contracted the virus, too…"

"Doctor, no…"

"I've been coughing blood in small fits all day… Please help me Birch… Get every single brain on this virus as possible. Contact Elm, Oak, Maple, anybody. I have work to do." There seemed to be a fire growing in the old man's eyes as he continued, "I have to find a cure. A vaccine. Anything."

"Doctor, I think you need some rest."

"No. I've got a Machamp on the table… I've never in my life have seen such a powerful beast become so weak, so fast…"

"Doctor, are you sure you've got the virus?," Birch asked.

Suddenly coughing, a small spat of blood hit Juniper's side of the monitor. "I have to go," he said.

The telecamera winked out to darkness…


	2. Chapter 1: On the Brink of the Rain

-1**Chapter 1: On the Brink of the Rain**

Beth sat with all five of her Pokemon on the very top of the Lilycove Department Store. She sat at a table with her head resting on her hands exhausted. Her pokemon were enjoying a round of lemonade, very happy with their drinks; but they were also sad to see their trainer so tired.

_Is she okay?_ they thought.

Beth's vicious looking Ariados offered her a drink; Beth smiled, but declined. In the north, Beth noticed that the entire sky was black. A slight unnatural green seemed to shine through the clouds.

"Seviper," she beckoned quietly. The large poisonous mountain viper slithered to it's master obediently. "Ariados. Skarmory. Beedrill. Charmeleon."

All her Pokemon abandoned their drinks and circled their trainer around the table and watched her for their command.

"I've got to stay strong, you guys. We've got to stay strong." In her sapphire eyes, the dark storm clouds reflected to show a deep sadness that could stop the hearts of any man in the night. "I know you know there's a bad virus going around. What Dr. Juniper said scares me. He said some bad things about the virus."

Beth's Pokemon stayed silent as they watched their overwhelmed trainer sigh deeply. Beth brought up her head and seemed to get her beautiful eyes lost in the storm oversea.

"He said that it can mutate into anything now. Some things, I don't want to believe." She looked at all her Pokemon for a brief second and her placid expression fixated on them all sadly. "We have to stick together, no matter what happens. Things might get dangerous and I don't want to scare you with details. But we have to stick together. As a team… It'd be wrong of me to keep you here in extreme danger you wouldn't dream, even in your nightmares. So I ask you," Beth paused. "Do any of you want to go to safety? I've made a deal with Bill, back in Kanto, that if any of you don't want to stay for whatever we may have to face. I can ship you, and your poke ball to him, ASAP."

Beth's Pokemon all looked at each other, then to Beth.

"Well?"

"Seviper!" Her poisonous snake Pokemon said boldly.

"Ariados!" her long loved spider followed in agreement.

"Beedrill!"

"Skarmory!" 

"Charmeleon!"

They all huddled around Beth, and Beth smiled weakly. "Thanks, you guys."

Her Pokemon didn't really know what Beth meant when she said, "extreme danger," but they didn't care. Honestly, nobody really knew. The only people that knew were the few doctors and scientists that feared the worst.

Going through decontamination, two men in thick biohazard suits that looked like old science fiction aliens came out into the hallways of the Fortree Poke Center.

"It's worse than I thought, Birch," one of the men said.

Taking off his safety helmet, Birch replied, "So you agree?"

"I hope not," the other man said taking off his helmet. The man was a famous man of science; with grey hair and a look of high seniority; This was Professor Oak. "But I think I might agree with Dr. Juniper."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that," Birch replied.

"If this virus mutates fast enough, it might just find a new way of spreading. Taking control of whatever sources there are."

In the background and behind the walls, muffled cursing could've of been heard all the way to Dewport.

"I also think," Professor Oak continued. "Dr. Juniper needs to stop and be hospitalized."

"Agreed," Birch said.

The two professors drank some coffee in the break room, then were soon greeted by Norman, the Normal-type gym leader of Petalburg. "Sorry I'm late," Norman said. "How are things, Professors?"

"Worse than you think, Norm," Birch said solemnly. "Put on the safety suit and follow us to quarantine."

Norman put on the spare suit as the two professors put back on their safety helmets. Entering the quarantined section of the Poke Center once more. Norman followed Birch, learning the true gravity of the situation; as Oak went back to work, trying fruitlessly to figure out a cure for the violent outbreak that was now sweeping Hoenn in it's thunderstorm.

Dr. Juniper was a mess… It had been a week and a half since he started coughing blood, and outliving eight other human cases in Fortree, and many other in Rustburo, Lilycove, and Mauville. Juniper was obviously living beyond the five day average that humans seemed to survive. The only thing one could think was that Juniper was still alive because of his stubborn endurance to find a cure.

This isn't to say that Dr. Juniper wasn't in bad shape. Juniper was probably the worst case of them all. He was having red bruise patches all over his body and face; he wore a blood stained mask to keep in his lung-ripping coughs; he was now having violent muscle spasms and limped with a cane; and over the pathetic site, he constantly cursed about the pain he was in. His blood shot eyes throwing razor blades through his thick bifocals, he was definitely a man on a mission.

Juniper worked tirelessly over test tubes as Professor Oak moved up behind him. Professor Birch, followed by Norman, went into the back surgical room, going through his rounds to check on the now twenty-two human and some dozen Pokemon patients. The Poke Center was packed with Pokemon, trainers, and ordinary citizens and Birch wept a small tear thinking of the families that were being torn apart that very moment.

The situation was too much for Norman to handle. He was a father. He had a family. He knew the love, the responsibility, the importance he had. How the many victims of the virus was shaking the bonds between all family and friends of Hoenn. But holding onto hope, his heart went on knowing that his children May and Max; and her friends were in all Jhoto well before the initial outbreak. Things had to be okay in the end.

Excusing himself, Birch knew Norman had to leave quarantine. It was obvious in the gym leader's eyes. Frustration was welling up, and it was obvious Norman had never seen, or was even ready to see such carnage. Sending his wife on a cruise ship to Kanto, he was now alone in a plague stricken region.

Going through decontamination, Norman sat himself back down in the break room. All the coffee in the world wouldn't of been able to bring to spirit. He rested his head on the doughnut table and fell into a deep sleep. The journey from Petalburg and the gravity of trying to realize what was happening had been wearing him down since the phone call from Birch.

The day was getting darker along with the moods of all the Fortree residents, then the first thunder clapped. The large typhoon had inched itself to the northern Hoenn shore and the rain began to fall.

A nurse in a biohazard suit, similar to Birch and Oak entered the lab and told Oak that he had a call on the computer phone from Rustburo.

Going through the twenty minute decontamination process, Oak took off his biohazard helmet with a sigh and walked to the computer phone with a furrowed brow. Clicking the hold button, the screen to the computer snapped on. The quirky and cute redheaded trainer came to the screen and seemed relieved to see the senior wisdom of Professor Oak.

"Misty!," Oak said. "How are you? Why are you in Rustburo? It's dangerous there, Rustburo's a hotspot for the virus. Not to mention the national morgue for all the fatalities. Why didn't you go on the cruise ship when you had the chance."

"I know," Misty said calmly with a weak smile. "That's why I'm here. I'm praying for the dead. It's the least I could do… Is there any progress with finding a cure?"

"I don't know, Misty. How are the people in Rustburo?"

"Hold on," Misty interrupted. "Nevermind," she said uneasily, "I thought I saw something move. It's lightning, I think."

"Has the storm reached Rustburo, already?"

"Yeah, it came in today real quick. They sky's real dark," Misty said. She suddenly turned her head to the left. Starring off, she seemed mesmerized and on the brink of fear.

A bloody scream rang in the background, and Misty turned her head to the right.

"Professor…?," Misty whispered.

The computer screen flickered with the lights, and suddenly the connection went fuzzy. A final scream was heard, and on Professor Oak's computer, it read: "Line has been disconnected."

Nurses, Norman, and several Chansey ran into the room once they heard Professor Oak screaming Misty's name.

In a hurried panic, Professor Oak tried to call the Rustburo Poke Center, but there was no reply.

The typhoon had finally turned Lilycove's peaceful shores to violent breakers. The rain fell heavy, but luckily the wind wasn't as bad it could be. They were obviously on the outer arm of the storm.

Beth sat in a Diner across the street from the Poke Center. Eating the Pot Roast Special with an Ice Tea; all her Pokemon, except her Ariados, were in their balls. Her Ariados sat parallel from Beth eating some Pokemeal.

There was an old man sat eating clam chowder at the bar. His Meowth sat sleeping under his chair. Dropping his spoon in his now empty bowl, he gazed into the TV.

The line cook ran to the TV and turned up the volume.

"…with blackouts all across the west coast. Top winds range at 110 miles per hour near Fallabor Town. Rain only seems to be getting harder… Oh, this just in: some sort of crisis has swept the central metro of Rustburo. Mixed reports, ranging from nothing to the absurd. Rustburo residents are told to stay indoors and… as…," the newscaster paused confused. "The dead are…," the newscaster gave an uneasy laugh.

Then the electricity went out.

"Always at the good part," the cook grunted. The burly man began looking around his kitchen for the emergency battery lamps.

Walking up to the old man, the young waitress with curly gold locks asked him if he was alright getting home once the arm of the storm passed, giving a short moment of clear sky.

The old man's Meowth perked up, looked around the diner nervously, then began to hiss.

"Easy there," the old man whispered. "I'm okay, little miss. Thank you for your concern. But there seems to be something more worrisome happening."

"What?," the waitress asked.

The old man stayed silent, as he began spacing off.

Beth's Ariados froze in it's spot, glanced at Beth, then glanced out the window. He gave a low insect hiss to Beth. He didn't know what was going on, but something was about to happen.

Beth had been observing the conversation, and stood up from her seat. Drinking a little bit of her tea, she could feel a small chill crawl up her leg, through her spine. "I feel it too," she said.

Then as quickly as the storm came, the winds calmed down to an eerie silence. The skies cleared, but it was obvious another arm of the storm was soon to hit Lilycove any minute.

"Ah," the cook said happily. "The winds calmed down just in time. I found the lamps."

"Don't turn those on," the old man said.

"It's alright old man," the cook said cockily.

Flicking the switch, the brilliant light finally brought the diner back to life with it's glow.

"I don't think you should of done that," Beth said quietly.

The cook raised an eyebrow confused.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment and the four occupants of the diner seemed to freeze with the silence.

The banshee like screeching of tires, the smell of burnt rubber, followed by the loud crash of metal and glass broke the pause.

Screams from the Poke Center was deathly. It was sudden, and now Beth could see people running for dear life from whatever was happening.

Then a large boulder crashed through the front window of the diner. Glass flew everywhere and Beth shielded herself from the razor sharp debris.

With quick reflexes, Beth's Ariados shot streams upon streams of webbing to stop the glass from hurting anyone. The waitress screamed and the cook hid behind the counter. The old man stood there calmly then stood up.

The old man had a look of determination on his face, he gave his Meowth a quick glance. "Run," he simply said. Taking his hat, he began walking to the door to escape.

The dying roar of a something huge was coming towards the diner and Beth took one quick bite from her Pot Roast and called her Ariados to her side.

"My new window!," the cook cried, crawling out from behind the counter.

The old man reached the front door and looked back to the others behind him. "Run, you fools!"

The door in front of the old man broke open, ripped away by two large rock-like arms. The dying roars and gurgles of a deathly ill looking rock-pokemon came to ear. The Pokemon grabbed the old man and threw him behind himself.

The Meowth hissed and screeched violently, ready to attack the large beast.

The waitress had the best idea out of all of the diner occupants, "Harry! The back door!," she cried. Running behind the counter to the back room of the diner, the cook followed her but stopped himself in front of the door.

Looking back at Beth, who stood in shock from the carnage of the insane rock pokemon, the cook screamed to Beth to hurry.

The Meowth had it coming, but it didn't care. Whatever the monster that attacked his master was going to get it good.

Shooting a Bubblebeam attack at the thing, the large rock pokemon flinched. The massive pokemon roared, coughed pebbles from it's mouth and ripped off the side of the diner.

The Meowth stood it's ground boldly and screeched once more.

Beth knew the Meowth didn't have a chance against the beast and threw out her Pokedex. "Golem," she said under her breath. With a cry of desperation, Beth ordered her Ariados to webshot the Golem to hold it back.

But as the webbing reached the Golem. The beast grabbed the little cat with it's bulky fist and threw it out the window with a crash of broken glass.

Calling her Ariados to run, the large spider and his trainer ran out the backdoor.

Similar to Lilycove, the rain seemed to be the worst thing in Rustburo.

Cold sweat pearled mixed with rain trickled down the veteran trainer's face. He knew what he had to do, and he had to do it quick. He whistled sharply and his Murkrow flew to his shoulder.

A fellow grunt ran to him panting, "Boss! They're freaking everywhere!! We can't hold them off!" The young trainer with frizzy red hair's voice cracked, "They knocked out Watt's Electrabuzz!!" Frustrated tears streamed down his face. "Let's just get out of here!!"

Gritting his teeth, the veteran trainer flashed a glance to the young trainer. Grabbing him by the collar, he growled, "We fight the good fight, Alan! If anything, fate brought us here to Rustburo! We didn't plan to die, but if we do, we do. You can do what you want, Alan. Run, if you feel the need to. But my mission is to stay here. If I die, then this is where my dream shall end."

The young trainer bit his lower lip. The last time he saw his leader so noble was when they confronted Giovanni of Team Rocket five months earlier.

"Yessir!," the young trainer barked. "We fight the good fight!"

Throwing the young trainer off, the old veteran surveyed the area uneasily. Him and his gang had been cornered to the central park. He was standing near the large water fountain drenched from the storm.

A large bolt of electricity exploded behind the trees, and a large flash of fire followed.

On the opposite side, the trees shook from earth shaking rumbles.

Then the horde slowly crept toward them.

Masses of slow moving people and Pokemon moaned and grumbled, clogging each step towards the old veteran. Alan, and now two other trainers came running up behind them.

"There's too many! We have to retreat!," a girl with a black ponytail yelled.

"Jean's right," said the other trainer.

"Damn it!," the veteran trainer cursed. "Alan, get Watt and Rachael over here! Mike, you go get Tammy and Chris! Jean and I will hold the horde off."

The fellow gang members complied with their orders and ran their separate directions. Jean called out all her Pokemon: a Blastoise, Hypno, Pigeot, Espeon, and Flareon. All behind her leader's four Pokemon: the old Murkrow that was now high in the air, a Marowak, Houndoom, and a Golduck.

The slow moving undead horde crept closer, suddenly hit by a large wall of wind, water, fire, and mental energy. But the dead pokemon and people just came closer. Suddenly a semi-rotting Slaking with scabby sores all across it's bloody body came to a charge in front of the horde, soon followed by a Doduo missing one of it's heads.

Jean's jaw dropped at the gruesome site, but soon ordered her Hypno to hold them back. With a rush of telepathic energy, the Slaking and Doduo flew backwards into the slow moving crowd.

The leader whistled out a high screech, the Murkrow came to site and thrust a dark cloud of energy towards several of the undead. The Marowak charged in front and jumped high into the air. Diving himself into the ground, the ground shook and cracked. The Pigeot tried furiously to blow away as many of the foes as possible, flapping with all it's might. And the Houndoom attempted to scorch a quick moving Zigzagoon as it leapt in mid air.

The Zigzagoon became a fireball as it rolled to the ground and with an order from her trainer, the Espeon threw the burning dead corpse towards the other oncoming undead.

The fierce battle seemed like a nightmare that wouldn't end as the other gang members rejoined their leader and Jean.

The leader called back his four Pokemon and Jean called back her five Pokemon.

Looking at each other in a calm panic. The eight gang members ran as quick as they can to a nearby building.

Reaching Goldenrod that morning, the four famous travelers and Pikachu that night rested themselves at a Denny's having drinks and grub. Tired and worried what was happening in Hoenn, May comforted Max who kept asking his big sister if their father, Professor Birch, was going to be fine.

Brock sipped some coffee as Ash fiddled his steak with a fork.

"In all this confusion," Brock said. "I know almost everybody we know is either on a ship to Kanto, but I wonder if Misty is back on the mainland."

"That's exactly what I was thinking!," Ash blurted out dramatically. "I hope she's okay!"

"Settle down, Ash. I'm sure she's fine," Brock replied. "Just give her a call on your Pokenav."

Pulling out his Pokenav like a nervous Slugma on a raft, Ash dialed Misty's number. Looking at Brock worriedly, he said, "It says her line is disconnected."

"Misty's resourceful, Ash. She probably just forgot to charge her Pokenav."

"I dunno, Brock. Hold on," Ash said. He dialed Professor Oak's Pokenav.

"Ash," May said quietly. "Don't do anything rash. That virus is dangerous."

"Yeah!" Max added.

"Oak!" Ash said loudly into his Pokenav. "How are you? Is everything alright with you? WHAT!!," Ash panicked into the phone once Oak explained the unnatural situation with the undead reanimation. "Are you okay?? Is Professor Birch with you, too? Is Misty there?!"

A long silence followed as Brock, May, and Max sat starring at Ash tremble is bottom lip.

A strong look of brave determination came to Ash's face, and he said chivalrously, "Then I'll go to Hoenn to find her!!"

A loud 'No!' came from Ash's Pokenav, 'It's too dangerous!'

"I don't care! She's my friend! I could never live with myself if something bad happened to her! I might see you there, I'll call you later."

'No Ash!,' the Pokenav snapped off and Ash looked at his three friends in the Denny's.

In a bold (cliché anime) stance, Ash said, "Misty is missing, and the virus has turned into something very dangerous. I'm off to Hoenn alone! Pikachu? You don't have to, but will you come with me?"

"Pikachu!," the little yellow fur ball said with loyal dignity.

"Ash," Brock said. "I can't let you go alone, I'm your friend. Misty's my friend, too. I'm coming with you."

"Me too," May said.

"Me three!," Max said.

"No!," May replied quickly. "I want you to stay with Mom."

"Aww, what?," Max whined.

"I agree," Brock said. "I'm not even sure if May or I are prepared for what were up against back in Hoenn."

Taken back from Brock's comment, May finally asked Ash what Professor Oak said that made him startle so badly.

Max thought for a second and shook his head quickly. "I don't want to fight zombies!," he blurted.

Brock sighed heavily. "The situation is serious," he said. "But if you're going, Ash. I can't let you go alone. And like I said; Misty's my friend, too. But I have an idea. I'll bring back my rock hard Pokemon team; and with you Ash; we should be pretty safe."

"That's a good idea, Brock. I'll bring back some of my older Pokemon."

"I'm still going," May said. "I have to help somehow."

"Then it's settled then," Brock concluded.

Professor Oak rubbed his head with the Pokenav on the ground. An hour had passed and Professor Birch and Norman walked in to see if Oak was alright. Oak explained the situation with Ash and knew he wasn't able to talk the determined young trainer out of coming to Hoenn. He called Delia, Ash's mom, but Delia said Ash wasn't picking up his Pokenav.

Norman realized that May and Max was with Ash and immediately called Max. The phone rang and was quickly answered. Norman asked Max how they were doing and where Ash was. Max explained that he was on a bus to meet up with his mom.

Norman gave a heavy sigh when Max explained that May was now with Ash and Brock waiting for the next ferry to Hoenn.

Suddenly two trainers and Winona the Gym Leader ran into the break room where Birch and Oak were.

"Something really freaky is happening outside! The graveyard! The swamp! Everything!!," Winona's face was bleach white and her signature helmet with purple plumes was missing. Here brunette hair was frizzed and her eyes seemed glaze. "My whole gym's trying to hold them off, but there's so many of them!! Professor Oak! What's going on!!??"

A crash down the hall followed by screams halted Winona's ranting.

Oak glanced at Birch with a look of panic.

"They're here," she said.


	3. Chapter 2: Thunder in Lilycove

-1**Chapter 2: Thunder in Lilycove**

Naomi died today.

Luke Bluefeather was the local scout for Team Rocket in Lilycove. He became alone when his partner and best friend fell ill with the virus.

Luke sat on an old brown couch. His head burried in his hands. Drop after drop of salty tear falling and soaking into the pages of a Newsweek magazine below him. He was the only person sitting in the hospital lobby; with the update of his best friend's death, he wanted to curl into every dark corner and stop his heart from beating himself.

_If only he could see her pretty face smile back at his once more_…

The winds of the storm whistled against the windows. The fluorescent light above him flickered a little and the coffee pot sizzled as it finished another brewed pot.

"I'll be okay… We'll be okay." Naomi's voice was still so clear in Luke's mind, and the pain within his body was like thorns tearing away at his soul.

Her full name was Naomi Millers. Luke had been best friends with her since he was in elementary school and had never told her that he loved her more than any other person in his life.

He never had the chance to say goodbye.

Memories of battling Team Aqua and squashing them the week before was still fresh in his mind. Naomi was an expert at battling and he was always the backup for her in any situation.

Getting up and walking to the coffee maker, Luke poured himself a cup. Looking towards the empty hospital room where Naomi had died in, his coffee cup became empty as the last drip went into his mouth.

He moved slowly to the elevator, then the lights suddenly went black. A slight panic went over the nurses stationed at their desks. The winds began to die down, but something primal told Luke to get out of the hospital. Now.

Now Lilycove had no local gym leader, which meant there was no local militia for any sort of sudden emergency. The residents of the port city were in panic and some trainers and Team Aqua members joined forces to fight off the sudden army of zombie pokemon. But what things ultimately meant was that Lilycove was now in pure chaos.

Archie, Leader of Team Aqua, gathered his best men and faced off a slow moving horde that seemed to be coming from the city morgue. His front line was sided with local trainers and a few police officers.

Standing in the middle of an intersection, Archie threw up a great ball from his belt. His loyal Crobat came out and hovered above him. Looking back to the Lilycove mob, he yelled out heroically, "Stand your ground Team Aqua! We fight for Hoenn!!"

The members of Team Aqua roared out in compassion behind their leader. A few blocks down the road, an explosion sounded off the oncoming of zombies.

Several Lilycove citizens ran in panic around the corner. A young boy slipped on the cement and yelled out to his mother ahead of him. Crying, the boy got up and ran to his mother who scooped him up into her arms. The small crowd was soon followed by a panicky trainer trying futilely to hold off the blood thirsty horde of zombies.

The loud cracking snap of an electrical wire broke above the trainer as the large pole began to teeter. Swinging by the cable of it's neighboring pole, the tall modern monolith crashed into the cement of the street. Ducking his head, the trainer nearly got himself electrocuted to death by the villainous wire swinging to the street.

"CAMERUPT, NO!!!!" the trainer cried in desperation. Stumbling over his feet as he tried to get up, he threw out another Pokeball, a small Sandshrew came out and readied his footing. "DUSTY!! Sand-Attack!!!," the trainer screamed.

The little Sandshrew threw out his paws throwing a cloud of dirt, out of site from Archie's view.

"Charge!!!" Archie yelled out to his team hoping to help the trainer out.

A look of fear came over the trainer and he spun around running to Archie, leaving his Sandshrew alone.

The Sandshrew curled into a ball and was soon overcome by a pack of rabid Poocheyna. Several undead pokemon soon followed.

The trainer tripped on his footing looking back to his Sandshrew, the boy fell onto his back. The swarm of undead pokemon charged after the trainer and Archie's gang began to slow down, intimidated by the huge mob they were up against.

The trainer screamed as a Poocheyna started ripping away at his legs, then making a sudden death clamp around the young boy's neck.

Archie looked back and noticed his team retreating in a full sprint. Cursing quietly under his breath, the leader of Team Aqua grabbed onto his Crobat and flew ahead of his retreating army.

Running into the alley behind the diner, the cook and the waitress were nearly out of site a few blocks away. Beth brought her Ariados back into his ball as she thought hard of where to go for safety.

Looking around frantically, the streets were lit with a pale glow from the moon.

She had to get back to Fortree with Professor Juniper; he was the only person she was able to think of nearby that had to have a solution for the nightmare engulfing Hoenn.

The howls of the rabid Mightyena and Poochena packs cried out to the deathly still sky as Beth threw out her Skarmory from his ball. Gleaming his smooth steel wings, Beth hopped onto the Skarmory's back. "Fly to Fortree, Skarmory. We need to get back to Birch and Juniper."

Flapping his wings and jogging down the back alley, the back wall of the diner broke down with the dead mossy Golem gurgling pebbles from it's mouth.

Running faster now, the Skarmory zipped by dumpters and trashcans, taking off above the downtown Lilycove cityscape.

Luke began to cry in the dim light as the hospital's backup generators allowed the emergency power to give some light in the sterile halls of the hospital.

He just couldn't live with the fact that his only friend since he joined the lonely life of crime had died. Luke couldn't leave her. Running down the hall and dodging nurses and patients, he kicked open room 425. Looking at the bed on the far side of the room, he walked slowly to the mortician who examined Naomi's cold lifeless body.

"What do you want, kid?"

"She's coming with me," Luke said.

"You can't do that. I'm sure her family--"

"She has no family," Luke interrupted.

"Well, it's wrong."

"She's coming with me. Something is telling me that I need to take her with me."

"Something is telling you?" the mortician said sarcastically.

Walking over to Naomi's backpack, Luke picked it up and put it onto his back. And taking her Pokeballs, he added her Pokemon to his belt.

"You can't do that; that's her Pokemon. I'm calling security."

Charging the mortician and grabbing his walky-talky; Luke threw the radio violently against the far wall. "I'm taking her with me," Luke ordered.

"You can't do this," the mortician barked.

Walking over to Naomi's body, Luke stared deeply into her face. The glimmer of life was gone in her cheeks and holding her hand in his, he could barely feel the warmth of her body anymore. "Forgive me for this," Luke said softly.

Hoisting her body up onto his shoulder, he cracked open a Pokeball and with it's brilliant light, a Raticate came out snarling it's large fangs. " C'mon Rio," Luke said to the Raticate. "Follow me and hold off anybody that tries to stop me from bringing Naomi with us."

Walking out of the hospital room, Luke looked down the hallway and saw confused nurses looking at him. Grabbing their radios, Luke knew he had only one way to escape. Jogging as quick as he could with Naomi on his shoulder A couple nurses blocked him off down the hall.

"Rio! Quick Attack!" Pulling out a Greatball from his belt, Luke's Ponyta bucked up her hooves and gave out a vicious stomp behind him. "Guard my back, Penny!"

The Raticate gave the nurses an unexpected shove against their backs.

"Iron Tail!"

Giving a swift spin in between the nurses, the Raticate knocked the nurses into the side walls. Walking on between his moaning victims, Luke kicked open the door to the stairs and looked back to his Ponyta.

"Hold on to her, Penny," Luke said sadly, hoisting Naomi's body onto the mare's back. "Follow me."

Throwing out another Pokeball, a Pigeot by the name of Lightfoot flapped open his wings and noticed Naomi hunched over Penny's back. The magnificent bird's feathers suddenly drooped and the great bird stared helplessly at his former trainer. Pushing Luke to the side with a strong shove, the bird nudged Naomi's lifeless body with his beak over and over again.

Luke was taken aback for a moment as he watched the great bird of prey become as small and weak as a chick in it's nest. Over and over again, the great bird cooed softly and nudged Naomi's body. Both Rio and Penny began to realize the gravity of the situation and looked back at Luke who had his eyes clenched shut, trying to hold back his tears.

"What am I doing?" Luke whispered to himself. "What am I trying to prove…"

The Pigeot screeched out loudly, his scream echoing through the stairwell.

"Pigeot, we need to get to the roof. Hold off our back." The great bird only dropped his head for a moment, and looked into Luke's eyes and agreed.

The four continued up the stairs, confronted every so often by nurses, surgeons, and panicky patients. They all stepped aside willingly, knowing the quartet were not a team to deal with at that moment.

Kicking open the door to the roof, a couple security guards yelled to Luke. Thrown back against the walls with a light gust of wind from Lightfoot; Luke brought Rio, the Raticate, back into his ball.

Luke noticed a slight trickle from the storm coming back and brought Penny to his side. Hoisting Naomi off the mare's back and onto Lightfoot, Luke then brought Penny back into her ball.

Jumping onto the gigantic bird's back, he commanded the Pigeot to fly. And with a strong a strong run, the great bird flew off the top of the roof of the hospital.

The ferry ride back to Hoenn wasn't going to be long. It was hurrying as fast as it could with a handful of doctors and determined trainers that wanted to save the crisis taking over Hoenn.

May, Ash, Brock, and Pikachu all stood at the side of ship watching the water pass below them. Ash gritted his teeth tightly wondering if his old friend, Misty, was in any trouble; it scared him to think of what may of happened or what could be happening to her at that very moment.

Brock walked back to a bench, released his old friend Geodude, and started feeding him Pokemeal.

May walked behind Ash and put a hand on his shoulder. Ash sighed and looked back to May. Their eyes met in silence.

Pikachu tugged on Ash's pants and pointed out to the distance, Hoenn could be seen on the horizon. The large storm loomed over the Island state as the shadow fell over the shores.

The ferry was headed to Slateport. If all went as planned, the ferry would make it to port before the winds hit fifty miles per hour.

A warm wanting swept through May and she seemed to blush as Ash stared strongly into her eyes. Ash looked away towards Brock feeding his Geodude, looked down to Pikachu, and began walking towards the cabin of the ship and pushed through the doors. Pikachu followed loyally.

May looked towards the storm and felt something strange sweep over her body. "Brock," she beckoned.

Brock looked up and patted his Geodude on it's head and noticed May's anxiety. "What's up May?"

"I don't know… Something about this storm is just… I'm not sure."

"That's ambiguous, but I know what you mean."

"It's not a normal cyclone."

"I know, it's a typhoon. We're in the Pacific. If we were in the Indian Ocean, it'd be a cyclone."

"That's not what I mean. It's just that these kind of storms don't make the air feel so cold so early. And that smell."

"What smell?"

"You don't smell it?"

"No."

"Well," May paused. "I don't know how to explain it, but it smells like something from a trash dump, I just don't recognize it. It's really faint. I… I don't know what to feel Brock. What's happening?" She looked into the horizon towards the storm and noticed something move above the clouds. She squinted her eyes, but couldn't make out what the thing was.

"What is it, May?" Brock asked.

"Do you see that? Above the clouds!"

Brock squinted, but couldn't pinpoint what May saw.

"It just dove into the storm!" May busted.

"I wonder what it was…"

May sighed heavily and walked into the cabin of the ship.


	4. Chapter 3: Rain, Fire, and the Fall

-1**Chapter 3: Fire, Rain, and the Fall of Lilycove**

Cesar, Leader of the Green Shadows. His attire unchanged since he ran away from the dying family farm. Cesar only knew his desperation of revenge on something more than just Giovanni. Dead, dark, and depressed memories quietly rang in his mind all the time. Memories of the girl and best friend he wished he could hold in his arms. The friend he lost in a fateful bloody fight… But those memories… gone. Dead, like his soul.

The rain didn't stop falling as the gang ran to what looked like a warehouse. It was indistinguishable. The darkness of the storm was unearthly. The only light on the warehouse was the faint greenish glow the clouds seemed to radiate.

Lifting one of the garage doors with the help of Chris. Cesar's gang ran into the building for cover and recuperation.

Watt and Jean held off the horde just long enough, and the door came down with a slam.

"I can't see a thing!"

"It's darker in here than outside."

"Over here," a girl in the corner of the dark room said softly. "Are you guys here to rescue us?"

"What?"

"There's a bunch of us here," another person said in the darkness.

"We need to get out of here and back to the supermarket with the others, they're already outside," Cesar said.

Speaking too soon, behind the muffled sounds of the storm, the garage door boomed with a loud metallic thud. Followed by blunt banging of fists and claws, the door behind the gang clattered with the moans of the blood thirsty sick and dead.

Cesar belted out curses as he ordered his gang to help the survivors out of the warehouse. Yelling to Rachael, his champion trainer, the two fighters faced themselves off against the mob outside.

The famous trainer's dark Murkrow eyed the weakening door. The bird was soon backed up by a fierce looking Dewgong.

With a burst of broken glass and bent steel, a mossy Nosepass stomped over the debris. The rock beast was quickly overcome by a swarm of shadowy figures.

A Surf attack followed by a Whirlwind signaled the futile defense. A Zigzagoon charged itself towards Rachael, dark foamy blood dripping down it's wild mouth.

The Murkrow cawed out an eerie melody, flying above the horde of undead. Dive bombing, a Razor Wind sliced the front line.

Dropping to the ground, Rachael ducked the Zigzagoon's Tackle. Above her, Rachael could smell the wafting odor of rancid flesh.

Throwing out an old Super Ball, Rachael's Persian roared out of the white light. Gleaming two large fangs and reflexes of lightning, the big cat realized the peril his trainer was in and threw itself at the Zigzagoon. Rolling in a somersault, the mountain cat dug his claws into the raggedy brown fur and threw the undead corpse into a far wall.

Running to Rachael, Cesar helped her up, but soon had to push her aside and pulled out his large hunting knife. Slicing across the body of a charging Marill, Cesar kicked the blue water mouse to the ground. Spinning around, he threw out two Poke Balls. A Houndoom and a Marowak. Whistling to his three Pokemon, Cesar's Murkrow swooped down and blocked a Tackle attack by a blood thirsty Aron.

The rusty steel Pokemon sparked a little scraping against the floor of the warehouse. The Houndoom ran in front of the defending Pokemon. And with all it's strength, the fire wolf breathed out a beam of fire, stopping most of the slow moving zombies in their paths.

An angry Mightyena jumped through the flames and growled out it's fury. The smell of singed fur filled the battle. Howling a menacing war cry of the dark forest, the Mightyena went into a full sprint towards Cesar. Readying himself with his knife, the fires of battle burned in the master fighter's eyes.

Rachael screamed, and Cesar's attention turned away to see his partner being tackled by a flaming Shroomish. The Shroomish was about to burst into a spore attack.

The Mightyena tackled Cesar and they fell to the ground. Firmly gripping his knife, Cesar stabbed the rabid wolf in the throat. Clinching his eyes as dark red blood sprayed out of the beast, he gave the Mightyena a hard kick off of himself.

Rachael ordered her Persian to attack the Shroomish, then a violent chill swept through her body like poison. Going through her bones and blood, she began to feel suddenly weaker. Trying to keep balance, she teetered on her feet and fell to the ground. The many dark shadows crept closer to her and Cesar got up to his feet and ran to his comrade. A man with dead white skin and dry blood on his mouth moaned, grabbing Rachael by her ankle. Preparing to bite her, Cesar kicked his foot into the man.

Picking Rachael up by the shoulders, he called to his Marowak and told him to take Rachael to safety. Ordering the Dewgong and Persian back into their balls, the Houndoom busted out another flamethrower to the front line of oncoming zombies.

Whistling out a screech, Cesar's Murkrow bolted out a large purplish ball of energy into the crowd of undead which stunned them for a small second. The Nightshade attack was soon followed by another shot of flames.

The warehouse was now well lit with burning fires all around and Cesar knew he had to fall back his defense. Grabbing hold of his Houndoom's neck, he held on tightly as his Pokemon rode him back towards the escaping survivors.

The old Murkrow soon followed his master's lead out the back door.

Roxanne, the gym leader of Rustburo, locked the survivors inside the Supermarket with a heavy rock shell. The aisles were lit with candles, fire and electric Pokemon, and miscellaneous camping lights.

A young trainer walked solemnly to the pharmaceutical section. He took off his red cap and held it loosely in his hand beside him. His raggy light brown hair was both wet and sweaty. His green vest and jeans ripped in several areas from too many fights and retreats that night.

Looking around, the young trainer released his dead Butterfree behind the counter of the Pharmacy; out of site from everyone else. His face was red with emotion, and tears welled up in his face. Grabbing the strongest prescription revive he knew, he tried hard to force feed the liquid into the Butterfree's mouth. He took a revive spray from another section and sprayed the Butterfree's limp body.

"C'mon Happy… Please, wake up…"

Taking another bottle, the trainer grabbed a syringe and filled the needle with the potent medicine. Taking the needle and pushing the air out of the syringe. The trainer bit his lower lip firmly and injected his Butterfree into it's arm.

Nothing happened.

Taking the revive once more, the trainer cried as he tried once more to force feed the liquid into the Butterfree's mouth.

"Please, Happy…"

The dark brown juice flowed off the side of the bug Pokemon's tiny mandibles.

The wounds the Butterfree had taken were his last. Looking at the little butterfly Pokemon was pathetic. One lower leg was obviously snapped in the wrong direction. Large rips in the once beautiful wings. Drying blood all over the abdomen and face.

"Please, Happy…" the young trainer prayed.

The trainer was now on his knees hunched over the dead Butterfree's body. He head down in this chest. Getting up, he looked around and found several Super Potions. Taking out an old Pokeball, he released his Pikachu.

The Pikachu had ruffed hair and seemed badly fatigued.

"Hey, Sparky," the trainer called, giving of the Super Potion to his Pikachu.

Sparky, the Pikachu, quickly seemed to gain more energy, but was obviously well beaten from the fights to keep the Supermarket safe. He looked over to the Butterfree and the little yellow mouse stared in shock with his jaw dropping slowly. Rushing over to the Butterfree, the Pikachu cried out to his best friend. "Pika-CHU!!" he screamed, giving out an electrical shock in hope to revive the Butterfree. "CHU!!" he tried once more. "Chu!" trying again. Every single time, a little bit weaker. Every single time, hope fading the little mouse's spirit. "Pika…"

The trainer was sitting against the wall crying. "C'mon, Sparky… He's gone…"

"Pika-CHU!!!" the Pikachu screamed in defiance. A strong rush of electricity rushed through the Pikachu's body and into the Butterfree once more.

"Sparky! Stop it, already!"

"Pika…"

The trainer crawled to his Pikachu and gave him a strong hug, and the Pikachu buried his head into his trainer's body. The two friends stayed silent for a while until another Rustburo survivor walked into the Pharmacy hearing the commotion from Sparky. "Are you alright?" she asked.

The trainer looked up to a girl and said, "yes."

She noticed the dead Butterfree and looked sadly at the poor creature. "Your Pokemon… Is he… dead?"

"Yeah…"

With a small pause, the girl couldn't find the right words, but "I'm so sorry…"

"His name was Happy… He was the second Pokemon I ever caught in the wild…"

"Are you from Kanto?"

"Yeah."

"And the Pikachu?"

"Yeah. My name's Richie."

"My name's Daisy. I'm from Kanto, too."

The two trainers stared in silence. But then Daisy realized the danger of keeping the Butterfree within the Supermarket.

"I don't mean to sound cold," Daisy paused. "I really think you need to bury or cremate your Butterfree."

"What? There's still a chance that--"

"The rabid Pokemon outside aren't just rabid, Richie. They're," Daisy paused, "Please don't panic, but if my father's theory is correct; your Butterfree has a good chance in becoming one of them…"

"Huh?"

"That's why you're hiding, isn't it? You don't want the others in here to see a dead Pokemon. The possibility of panic. I'm sorry, but that Butterfree needs to go. For the safety of us all."

Richie stood up defensively against Daisy and puffed his chest in her direction. "How do you know that?" Richie screamed. A tear ran down his bruised face. "Happy was never infected with the virus! I want him buried right! I want a funeral! Is that asking too much?!!"

"I don't know, that's the thing. That's why we need to be careful. I'm scared to think what might happen if--Just look outside!--What if--What if my father said--"

"Who's your father?"

The wind whipped across Luke's face and the Pigeot seemed to growl as another one of the storm's long arms slowly plowed through Lilycove.

The turbulence was deadly. Lightfoot, the Pigeot, kept stalling in midair. A hard gust from the side caused Lightfoot the spin out of control. Luke held on hard to the great bird's neck; wrapping his arms around both Naomi's body and the bird.

Below, Lilycove citizens ran out of their houses trying to escape the zombies. Panicky police officers shot round after round of bullets at dead people and Pokemon. But with the slow coming to the storm, far too many were left stranded at empty docks, abandoned buildings, markets, and shelters.

Blood blanketed some parts of the street, soon to be washed with the rain that started to sprinkle. A man at the top of the Department Store threw himself off the roof of the tall building, spinning when he hit the side of a window sill, crashing head first into the hood of a station wagon.

Hell had become Lilycove in the worst way.

Archie ran down the road through the coastside suburbia, followed by his Crobat.

Jumping over a fallen palm tree, Archie breathed hard looking up to the sky which was beginning to darken once again.

As quickly as it left, a crack of lightning hit a transformer somewhere, and the loud earthshaking explosion echoed through the coastal neighborhood. A waterfall of rain hit Archie and his Crobat with a thumping shove; and a sudden pump of wind made the gigantic bat lose control and tumble straight into Archie. Both got road rash, and Archie growled holding his now bloody face.

Bringing his Crobat back to his Pokeball, Archie knew there wasn't enough time before the storm became too dangerous to run through. So Archie popped into a full sprint.

Down the road, an old sailor locked himself in his sea cabin, holding a shotgun pointed toward the front door, hugging his wife.

Inside the small cabin, the front door banged loudly and Archie's voice screamed. "Gramps!! Let me in!! It's not safe!! Come with me to the Aqua Hideout!!"

The old sailor rushed to the door followed by his wife. Throwing the door open, the raggy old man smiled and laughed heavily seeing his only grandson.

"What's going on outside, Archie? I heard screams, so we kept the lights off and--," Archie's grandmother said pausing.

"It's hard to explain, Grandma. But we've got to go, now! We don't have time for packing."

Rain ran down Archie's face and the usually tough guy burst in emotion, hugging his grandparents tightly.

Archie's grandfather put down the shotgun, but Archie bursted, "Bring the gun, and bring your Pokemon, Gramps. Lots of ammo, too."

Carrying a couple boxes of shotgun shells and candy in her purse, Archie's grandmother followed quickly behind Archie down the footpath of the cabin and into the street. Grandpa soon followed close behind, wearing his Pokemon belt and holding the shotgun.

The wind came in sudden gusts; Archie yelled to his grandparents to hurry behind him down the road.

The time it was taking to get back to the docks was stretching a lot longer than Archie had wanted it to, and his frustration growled in his throat.

"How much farther, Archie? What's going on?" Archie's grandmother cried.

"I'm sorry, not too much farther," Archie said, turning around. "Behind You, Grandpa!! Shoot! Shoot!!"

Archie's grandpa turned around wheezing hard; the old war veteran smiled as his younger spirit laughed and came alive. What he saw was one thing, but the seriousness of the fight was another. He knew that survival was in his gun. And with two clean shots into a charging Poochyena; the trio was safe once more.

"What's going on?" Archie's grandpa asked, reloading his shotgun.

"People and Pokemon are out for blood, the whole town's goin' down! I think everybody's turning into zombies."

Hurrying down the road, Archie's grandmother said, "here's some more shell's Harold. You two gents want some Meowthy Mints?"

A gleam of metal sparkled in the corner of Luke's eye and he turned his head. It was a trainer riding a flying Pokemon towards the eye of the strom. It was obvious that the bird and it's trainer were having worse trouble flying in the wind than him and Lightfoot. And with a violent gust of wind, Luke saw the bird be smacked against it's side as if hit by a baseball bat and spin out of control to the ground.

"LIGHTFOOT!!" Luke yelled, pointing to the Pokemon and it's trainer.

The great Pigeot crowed out a magnificent scream and flapped horrifically powerful bursts toward the screaming trainer.

Nearing closer to the ground, Luke thought he couldn't save the trainer and screamed to the Pigeot to fly faster. "C'Mon!!"

The bird tucked in his wings and sped in the air like a missile. The trainer screamed to her bird helplessly; but the bird wouldn't wake up. Looking down towards the ground that crept closer to her by every second, she thought this couldn't of been the end of all things she knew as life.

"Who's your father?"

"Professor Oak."

"What?!" Richie replied stunned. "You're his daughter?"

Just then, a tired looking man in a wet business suit walked in holding his head. "You kids have any aspirin or valium in here? I can't take this anymore." Looking at the Butterfree, the man stared for a second and realized the reality of where he was once more.

"This isn't what it looks like, sir." Richie quickly stuttered.

"Uhh… What's that Butterfree doing in--Is he dead?"

"Umm."

"Don't worry, mister." Daisy said uneasily. "I've got things under control."

"No, no, NO!" the man glanced behind his shoulder, then back to the Butterfree. "You got to get that thing out of here! Burn it if you have to! Holy of holies! What are you trying to do, bring in a dead Pokemon in here with all of us? Don't you have any sense!?"

"Happy's not a Thing! He didn't die because of the virus! We were fighting the zombies outside!"

"What were you thinking! Bringing in a dead Pokemon in here!!! We could be the only survivors in Rustburo that aren't zombies already!!!" Looking around frantically, the man ran out of the Pharmacy screaming, "Everybody! I need some help!!"

"NO!" Richie screamed. "Daisy, you got to help me!"

"I--I…"

"Please!!"

Behind him, the warehouse was engulfed in large flames. Before him, a small group of survivors and his gang ran down the street. Lightning ripped across the blanket of the black-green clouds, and a jet of rain seemed to be spraying into everyone's eyes constantly. Cesar slowed his Houndoom down and jumped off the fire wolf's back and brought him back into his Pokeball.

A larger guy, that could of passed as a marine ran up to Cesar. "Cap! There's a Rock Tomb on all entrances of the Supermarket, we can't get inside! There also seems to be a large amount of the zombies forming around the Market."

"They're readying to attack us in full force, Chris." Cesar said, glancing back to the mob of zombies a couple blocks behind him. "Take Rachael to Tammy as quick as you can; she has the meds on her. We'll head for Devon Corp."

Saying a prayer to God, Beth brought her Skarmory back to his ball. Her eyes were clenched, and the water whipping off her glasses blurred everything in site. The crash to the ground should be painless if she died instantly, and the death she knew coming in just a few more seconds wouldn't be so bad.

_God save Hoenn,_ she thought.

Archie and his grandparents reached the docks, but saw a fierce battle between nearly all of Lilycove and a large army of zombie pokemon that seemed to be coming from the swamps down west. The western pier was consumed by masses of zombies and half rabid beings attacking in all sort of ways. Team Aqua, Police Officers, Sailors, Cool Trainers, Gamblers, Lasses--Every single ordinary citizen with a capable Pokemon, and even a few Team Magma! fought in the gigantic battle that seemed to be turning into a mouth full of blood for every living survivor.

The storm didn't seem to help the defenders of Lilycove one bit. In fact; the zombies seemed to be gaining power and strength from every single bolt of lighting that shot across the sky.

An Aqua Exec saw Archie and ran to him, "Archie! We can't hold them off forever! The storm's picking up too fast for any of us to have an advantage!"

Archie looked around, watched masses of people running out of Lilycove and towards the crowded docks. Group after group of Lilycove citizens, carried off by Pokemon and boat towards the Aqua Hideout. The waters were harsh though, so travel to the Aqua Hideout was slow. With that many people cramped in one place, disaster was waiting to happen.

As Archie ordered his grandparents onto the next boat, a dark green sphere zipped overhead. An indistinct black figure resonated from within the sphere as it hovered above the Lilycove crowd.

Panic flamed across the crowd and some people screamed in terror.

Archie's senses peaked as adrenaline swallowed his body. To his left a baby was crying within the arms of a hypnotized man. A Biker Punk cursed quietly under his breath, grasping onto a limp Sevivper in his arms. A strange energy blasted from the zombie mob, the unknown power waved over a chunk of trainers and their Pokemon, throwing them backwards unconscious.

Two bloody red eyes opened from the dark orb above the docks. Blood curdling Screams filled with violent death rang into everyone's ears.

Drowning at the bottom of the sea. Falling down an elevator shaft. Being burned alive. A slit across the throat. Violent images flooded into everyone's minds.

The dark orb began to pulse. Archie slammed his hands over his ears, trying hard to muffle the Scream that weakened every limb in his body.

A huge arm of lightning flew across the sky, lighting the dock as if it were daylight. And with that single instant, dozens of unidentifiable four-legged beasts stood on every single building cackling the yells of banshees. Archie could of sworn he heard the beasts laughing out his demise.

Everyone curled in to the ground holding their ears. Archie's eyes were tight shut and tears began to stream down his face.

The dark orb slowly moved to the front line of fighters, and the zombies began their charge to the stunned front line.

Everything suddenly became dead quiet. Time seemed to pause for a few seconds, but was interrupted with a heavy earthshaking boom that shook the entire cape of Lilycove.

A pitch black cloud that looked like the void of space rushed outward from the flying orb and consumed nearly the entire front line of Lilycove fighters in a flash flood.

The Screams stopped and looking at the battle, Archie forgot about his gang and ran to his grandparents on the boat and yelled to the ship captain to leave the dock.

The hit against her side was powerful. The wind was nearly knocked out of her and her glasses flew off into the abyss of the windy heights. Beth found herself on top of another girl who's body was as cold and rigid as ice.

"Breath easy, I got ya,' " the calm voice of Luke said over her.

Up close, her vision wasn't bad, and she noticed she was on the back of a large bird--obviously a Pigeot.

"Hang tight, this might be rough."

Gliding close to the ground, Lightfoot huffed as he carried the three passengers in between large trees and buildings. The wind was still hard to fly through, but it was easier than the higher latitudes of where he just was.

"We're going to have to land in the Safari Zone," Luke said to Beth. "C'mon, Lightfoot! Over there! Hyah!"

Landing beneath a giant umbrella tree, the Pigeot ruffled his feathers and breathed calmly.

Luke jumped off the great bird and helped the girl just saved from the wind. Grabbing Naomi's body, she was as stiff as stone and laid her on her side against the trunk of the great tree.

"She's dead," Beth said quietly. "What happened to her?"

"Why is she stiff like that?" Luke said, holding back the gasping sob from his throat.

"Rigor mortis. The body becomes stiff once it dies. It usually sets in twenty minutes to a couple hours after death."

Luke sighed heavily and turned to Beth. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Maybe. The virus kills the living, then it mutates and uses the dead corpses as a host."

Luke face shaded with slight confusion and he looked to Naomi's body and began to grit his teeth thinking what Naomi's dead body might become.

"I'm sorry. That's what the research shows."

"Penny!" he ordered opening a Poke Ball from his belt.

Penny the Ponyta bucked her hooves up and looked to her trainer eagerly for his order.

"Burn Naomi's body," Luke began to choke on his throat and he began to cry. "Flamethrower, and don't stop!"

"Wait," Beth said softly, but realized it was the only thing to do with the dead at this point.

As quickly as it came, and as quickly as it turned the tide of the battle; the strange creature with red demon like eyes was gone. Even the Hellhound like creatures on the rooftops of Lilycove had vanished.

With half of the Lilycove fighters unconscious, everyone at the docks had just become sitting ducks.

It was as if the Devil himself had cracked open the Pit of Hell and shot one dark stab at Lilycove's heart.

An older gentleman by the name of Howard Blakes came out of crowd. He knew the fight was over, but knew that even now that the weak, young, and old were now forced to fight. He considered himself a has been for the past forty years. He was the legendary trainer, "Flame."

"Charizard! Camerupt! Torkoal! Ninetales! Growlith! Blaziken!" All six of the Flame's Pokemon roared out with pride. They were champions once again.

Shadows crept over the unconscious crowd and began to rip away at their victims. Blood splattered across the decks.

The six Fire Pokemon marched in front of their old trainer, and with the team's captain, Blaziken. The cry of the bird of prey screamed.

"Fire Blast and Overheat!" Blakes the Flame ordered.

The bonfire grew and Richie cried in defiance as he was being held back by two men. Penny sat in sad shock, knowing she couldn't do a thing to stop the mob.

Firewood from aisle five was being brought in and from behind a canned food display came the effigy of Rustburo. The dead Butterfree named Happy.

"Rustburo wont fall to evil monsters!" a woman shouted.

"Burn it before it becomes one of Them!" another person screamed.

Richie fell to the ground, still held up by his arms. Tears of rage fell from his face and he cried out for his Butterfree.

Right before the crowd threw the dead Butterfree into the fire. It began to twitch violently. Once through the arm, shaking the abdomen. The people carrying the bug above them dropped the Pokemon jumping back in shock.

Another spasm jolted through the entire body of the Butterfree. The spasms became constant and the bug shook across the ground like it was having a seizure of some sort. The supermarket was dead silent, except for the crackling of the fire at the center of the fresh produce islands.

The Butterfree stopped, then it jumped to it feet screeching so loud, a man's glasses broke nearby.

Panic went across the crowd, but one quick thinking trainer ordered his Hitmonlee to throw a Mega Kick at the Butterfree.

The crowd grew silent once more, watching the Butterfee scream and shout as it began to burn--undead to ash.


	5. Chapter 4: A Flickering Hope

-1**Chapter 4: A Flickering Hope**

Ash, Brock, and May were the only trainers but one on the ferry wanting to land on Hoenn. The ship was nearly empty, except for the crew that was about to escort as many people they could out of Hoenn. The original group of hopeful trainers that wanted to save the people of Hoenn lost their gut when the radio fuzzed in the uneasy report of creatures possibly worse than zombies. Rumors spread fast and the news reporters had to work with nearly nothing.

There was one quiet trainer that didn't join the bandwagon of trainers that lost their confidence. She was near the railing of the ferry looking over the water in the wind. Brock sat enchanted by her looks. _There she stands_, Brock thought. _Long black hair flowing in the wind. The lonely look in her deep green eyes searching for something more. She needs me. I need her. We need love. Love that will always--_

"Hey Brock! You gotta' try their applesauce on this ferry! It's to die for!" Ash blurted smiling with a large jar of applesauce.

"Huh?" Brock's gaze towards the lone trainer broke and he stared blankly at Ash. "That's a lot of applesauce."

"Well, a couple more minutes till we reach the Slateport docks. I think we're about to be hit with rain again--I don't know typhoon storm weather that well. Hey, Brock. You ready for this? If it's as bad as they say it is. We stick together no matter what, okay? We're a team!"

"Yeah, sure." Brock glanced back at the lone girl trainer. "Do you know who that trainer is?"

"No."

"Even when it drizzled, she didn't move from that spot. She had a Sandslash with her, but put it back into it's ball when the rain got too heavy."

"And...?"

"Uh," Brock blushed and looked around. "Yeah. She seems tough. Maybe she can help us find Misty."

"Good thinking, Brock." Ash smiled, took a scoop of applesauce, and put a big plump of the junk in his mouth. "I mean like, this applesauce is the best applesauce I've ever had in my life. The cook on board the ship has a bunch of jars full of it! You should talk her and see what her problem is."

Brock smiled, "Problem? I'm sure there's no problem. She's probably nice, funny, kind, the kind of girl you want to be with at a nice restaurant. Perfection, beauty, everything--"

"Yeah," Ash interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "Talk to her, I'll be back in the cafeteria."

The girl looked at her watch, turned around facing a love-struck grinning Brock. "Hi," she said looking Brock up and down uneasily. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Brock. I'm with my friends Ash and May. I used to be the Gym Leader of Pewter City, but here I am, so you may of heard of me."

"Ash? Ash who?" the girl asked recollecting her memory of a trainer she might of heard of on the news.

"Ash Ketchum."

"Really?" she was astonished. "Champion of Kanto and Jhoto. The undisputed enemy of Team Rocket. Hmm... Then you must of met Giovanni."

"Yeah," Brock replied uneasily. "I've met him."

"Well, I'm very glad to meet you Brock. My name is Laura. I'm a trainer of the sorts. I do a lot of random stuff around Jhoto primarily, but I go to Kanto every so often. Sometimes even in Sinnoh."

Brock looked around if Ash was still next to him, but he was already back in the cabins of the boat.

"Oh, sorry. No, I'm not part of Team Rocket. I just wanted to know if you were who you said you were. I'm impressed with Ash's work against Team Rocket. I've been after Giovanni for years now."

"Oh," Brock replied. "You're not just saying that, are you?"

"No. You have my word, Brock. Do you know the Blue Phoenix?"

_The blue trench coat_, Brock thought. "No way," His face lit up. "You're the Blue Phoenix? The greatest bounty hunter in Jhoto!"

"Thanks, but I'm not the best, though."

"What are you doing here? Is Team Magma and Aqua your next target?"

"No. I'm not here for bounty," Laura said with a small frown. "It's personal." Laura paused for a second and glanced at the water. "If not, I'll see if I can help a few people on the way. Why are you here?"

"We're looking for a friend. Misty, she used to be the Gym Leader at Cruelean's Water Gym."

"I see."

"I can't believe you're the Blue Pheonix. In person!"

"Yeah," Laura said blushing a little.

"Umm...," Brock paused rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey. Do you want to join us? We could probably help each other out."

"Sure, I'll join. I don't see any reason not to-- we'd definitely have strength in numbers as it is."

"Alright!"

"Where are you guys headed?"

"Rustburo, first. After that, I'm not sure. You?"

"I'm not sure, I just needed to come to Hoenn."

"Hey look, come on inside, it's cold out here. You need to meet Ash, May, and Pikachu."

Laura looked back at the water again and sighed. Brock walked into the cabin happy to introduce the new friend. But Laura stared into the water deep in thought, she knew was getting closer to her goal. The one person she had been searching for her whole life.

Luke fell to the ground sinking into thick mud that sucked his knees into the long grass. Under that big umbrella tree, his sullen crying was very lonely. The wind whipped the limbs of the tree like the hair of a pretty girl underwater at the pool. It swayed to one side, then back. Swaying, then back. The rain sounded like the whispering of a crowd as Luke's hearing dimmed the harder he cried for his fallen best friend.

Luke's Ponyta, Penny, stopped her Flamethrower to Naomi's body and kneeled to the ground closing her eyes. The fire consuming Naomi hushed deeply with small bursts. Her hair sparked like a bunch of small sparklers as they turned to ash.

"I said, don't stop, Penny..."

The Ponyta got back on it's feet and began blazing a beam of fire from it's mouth to Naomi's body once more. The blow of the Ponyta's torch was immense and hushed Luke's crying to a small sob.

Beth stood against the trunk of the large tree staring at the flames of the cremation. Her black hoody sweater soaked. Black jeans soaked and tight against her legs. She could barely see without her glasses, but the blurring of the flames was like looking into an impressionist painting. The flames danced side to side like the primal dances of early man. The archaic question of Death loomed in her eyes as she watched the once beautiful young girl char away to nothing but bone and ash.

Beth sighed wondering where she could go. She had to find Professor Birch and Professor Juniper; but she also had to survive. She barely understood what was going on. How could the epidemic reach such levels so quickly, it wasn't natural. The storm didn't feel natural. Something else was going on, and she had to figure it out.

Luke looked up to Beth with a pathetic stare and stood up. He closed his eyes and tightened his mouth holding his breath. He quietly hummed his meditation. Letting out a heavy breath, he eyed Beth once more. She was soaked, tired looking, but something about her screamed, smart. Important. In a frank tone, Luke asked pessimistically, "So what's your story?"

"Are you part of Team Rocket? Your clothes and jumpsuit give it away."

"Yeah," Luke said. "We we're scouts and traders. Probably the best in the area, too. Well... I'm the only scout in the area now. I was doing some business with Team Magma. My name's Luke." He felt a little bit better telling her the truth.

"My name's Beth. I'm originally from the Kanto region, I'm a researcher. I work with Professor Birch "

"Me too. Well, I mean I'm from Kanto, too," Luke replied. "I never would of guessed you to be a researcher. You don't look the part... Do you know what's going on?"

Beth looked down and got up off from the tree trunk. Her soaked blonde hair stuck to the side of her face and she wiped her bangs out from her eyes and behind her ears. She wasn't sure how to feel, so many things were going on so quickly that her thoughts were now lost in the deep reaches of her mind. She shook her head. "I've got an idea, but to be honest. It's not making any sense."

Luke looked back at Naomi's body burning and dropped his head into his chest. "Is this what Hoenn's becoming? What if the epidemic escapes the mainland? Is this what the world's going to become?"

Beth looked deep into the flames of the cremation. The red and orange reflection sparkled against her sapphire blue eyes. She began to space off as her mind cleared. Then she thought she had a vision of what would happen if the virus reached Kanto, then Jhoto, the Orange Islands, Sinnoh... Victory Road laying in ruins. The empty ports of Vermillion. "No," she said firmly. Looking up to Luke, her gemlike eyes seemed to radiate against the flames of the fire. Without her thick glasses, she was stunning in the light of the fire. "No, I wont let it."

Luke looked into Beth's determined stare and smiled. She seemed to make him feel stronger. A flickering hope of the whole catastrophe ending happily. Then he sighed, realizing the reality. "What are you going to do? You can't stop a major epidemic without a cure."

"I'll find a way," Beth replied. "We need to go to Fortree."

A heavy bolt of lightening struck another power line and crashed into the street bringing up the ruble of asphalt with it. The rain seemed to become lighter, but the wind seemed to pick up in bursts that shook the running balance of the survivors and undead in the streets of Rustburo.

Cesar, Leader of the Green Shadows, looked around standing in the parking lot of the Supermarket. Down the street, the warehouse was in flames and a dark mob slowly moved towards him. To his side, the street market, all tents had blown down or tore down. The mob of dark beings paced between the wrecked crates, broken pots, and rubble of the stands. Behind him his team and the survivors were gathered in front of the rock tombed Supermarket checking each other's health status; he could see Tammy trying to give Rachael antidotes and awakenings.

Cesar's Murkrow gave his owner an uneasy glance from his feet below.

The wind howled it's dead hollow bellow above.

The rain felt like tiny shots of sand across the face.

Shadows were forming at the sides of the Supermarket, now aware of the survivors of Rustburo. They'd been circling the Supermarket for hours.

Cesar cursed quietly in his breath and strode quickly towards his team and crowd. "Alright, time is short. Follow me. Watt, watch the left side. Jean to the right. Mike and Chris, to the back. The rest of you, in center with the survivors."

The crowd of survivors and Cesar's gang followed Cesar away from the Supermarket, followed by the marching dead far behind. Pulling out a Pokeball, Cesar let out his Golduck. The rest of the Green Shadows followed their leader's command and brought their Pokemon out. Cesar knew they were being slowly surrounded. Chances for survival were slim, but they had to fight or die.

The mob from the market seemed to collectively begin to move towards the Green Shadows and growl in sight of their presence. Then a few howls in the dark gave Cesar a distaste of annoyance thinking of the oncoming bloody situation. "Green Shadows!" he yelled strongly. "One of the packs are back, stay on guard."

Cesar broke into a jog and the rest followed. They were running down the street. Then the undead began to come slowly and individually before them.

Cesar's Golduck slashed smoothly like a samurai in the middle of the street at the faces and bodies of straggler dead. A clean uppercut to the right, spinning downward with another Slash. The growl of a pale man showed his hungry teeth jumping at the Golduck covered in foamy maroon blood from citizens who weren't so lucky. It was like the dance of a leaf in the wind. Each slash so smooth, claws like razor blades in the wind.

The Golduck swiped his claws at the man's face and gave a quick shot of water from his mouth, throwing the zombie through the window of a side shop. Then a blast of bubbles towards a woman who was slowly progressing to his backside. The Goldock twirled in an acrobatic spin in the air landing on his back feet with claws out. Working with Cesar as a master was a liberating experience. The Golduck was free to ad lib and do what it had to do to win the fight. Even on a one on one trainer battle, the extent of Cesar's commands were mostly general, but the desired outcome of each attack was more precise than one could imagine.

Cesar gave a sharp whistle to his Murkrow who was now flying above the street. Screeching loudly, the Murkrow charged into the growing crowd in front with a violent attack of wings and talons. The attempt to Astonish seemed to have little effect. But with another whistle, the Murkrow gathered dark energy around itself and cleared the street with the powerful dark hazy explosion of fog.

The zombies following the survivors was growing as the mob from the market joined with the mob from the warehouse. The mob from the Supermarket joined as well and a large army was now slowly being created.

The frizzy haired grunt named Alan came out from the survivors to his leader. "Captain," he said. "They're getting big back there. The whole town's after us. The more we run, the more they follow. It just doesn't want to end."

Progression through Rustburo towards Devon Corp. halted and Cesar looked around. It seemed hopeless. The storm didn't want to stop. They were all hungry and tired. If they all stayed together as a group, death seemed unstoppable. If they scattered, they'd lose any chance for survival. One of them had to stay behind so the rest could run.

"Boss," Alan's voiced cracked. "What's next? Devon Corp.?"

Cesar sighed shaking his head in frustration. "What's the status report."

"My Spearow's fainted. Rachael's waking up, but she seems really weak. I think Jean's Espeon is paralyzed. Mike and Chris in the back are getting overwhelmed. I think Watt's Flaffy is really weak too, I saw him bring it back to it's Pokeball. Some of these bastards are really fast. If the rest of them catch up to us, we're toast."

Alan stopped talking and a everybody in the group of survivors looked at each other scared when the howling came back even louder. The packs of rabid Poochyena and Mightyena were winding their way through the streets and alley ways. Trash cans crashed in the distance. The howling grew louder. The snarling of beasts could be felt on their necks.

"Green Shadows!" Cesar yelled. "All Pokemon out! We're being surrounded.

In brilliant flashes all around, the members of Cesar's gang brought out all of their Pokemon ready for the assault.

As a team, the Green Shadows were infamous. And now each member, a strong fighting history of their own stood fortifying the survivors like knights.

Then in a rush, a snarling battalion of Poochyena and Mightyena had the entire gang surrounded. They all paced around the survivors like vultures on a dying animal.

Pulling out his knife, Cesar eyed down a charging Poochyena; as quickly as it came, he sliced his blade into it's neck and stabbed the wolf into it's back. His Golduck taking over with a Seismic Toss threw the beast into another Poochyena that the Murkrow was now thrusting Wing Attacks at.

The Marowak charged forward throwing out a powerful Boomerang attack which flew through the streets hitting a couple undead square in the side of the head, knocking them to the ground and dislocating their necks. But this didn't stop them as they rigidly came back up.

In the rear, Chris' Hitmonlee spun in the air and landed a kick in the side of a Mightyena's head. The wolf slid across the ground and slowly got back up to it's feet. But with a Hammer Kick, the Hitmonlee drove the beast into the ground with deadly force. The cracking of bones crunched inside the rabid zombie.

Jean's Hypno went in and out creating bursts of Psychic energy, throwing back the rabid wolves as Tammy's Sandslash Slashed and Swiped by it's side.

A giant Dodrio roared out in a fast charge, windmilling it's head's giving a deadly Fury Attack of Pecking towards a couple Poochyenas. Mike screamed orders to his birds as a Pidgey followed the Dodrio's behind Gusting off a sickly looking Skitty who was slowly following the three headed bird. His Farfetch'd followed close behind, blade drawn. While his Xatu sat in the back gathering energy for a Psychic Blast.

On the far right side, bolts of lightning flashed in all directions and a small electrical storm blasted forward from Watt's Pokemon, frying anything it's path.

Cesar had now pulled out all four of his Pokemon and cleared a path forward, but the rabid Poochyena and Mightyena had moved completely toward one side.

"Follow Me!" Cesar yelled, and everyone followed, except for Jean, who finally saw what was coming.

In a panicky scream, Jean called out to her teammates. "Guys! I need some help over here!!"

When the first person put their foot toward Cesar, the wolves attacked.

The Green Shadow's Pokemon were in the way of their food. The pack of rabid wolf Pokemon snarled teeth dripping with blood as they leaped through the air. Jean's Hypno could only hold back a couple, while her Blastoise could only pick off a few Poochyena as they ran in full sprint. The rest of her Pokemon were dazzled and intimidated from the leaping hoard. Jean dodged out of the way from a Poochyena who had broken through her line, then punched the jaw of another Poochyena who was trying to tackle her.

Watt on the complete other side kept his ground, holding off a few zombies, but turned around to see the unprotected survivors being helplessly ripped in a carnage of clothes, flesh, and blood. Everybody was screaming and Watt stood paralyzed with fear as tears began to run down his cheeks. A large Mightyena growled at it's pack and was soon followed by one of the Poochyena, the two rabid wolf Pokemon charged at Watt who was stumbling backwards choked with emotion.

A vivid memory brushed across Watt's vision and the flashbacks of when he was a kid came to him. His first Pokemon and the first step in his path towards being a criminal. A camping trip with his mother, father, uncle, and little baby sister. The campground was surrounded by a hungry pack of Poochyena and Mightyena. He was reliving his nightmares and emotion flooded his lungs. He couldn't do anything when they attacked. His father's Pikachu didn't have a chance. Running into the woods, he left his family to die and his father's Pikachu followed by the order from his trainer to protect his son.

The same Pikachu, now a Raichu, Zap Cannoned the Mightyena back into the screaming panicky survivors. Turning around, Watt burst into a sprint down the street away from the crowd into the darkness. Tears ran down his eyes and he couldn't deal with his internal fear once more. He believed he was never as strong as he really was and needed to run. The Poochyena was catching up to him and leaped onto his back clamping down on his neck.

Watt's scream was muted out by the crack of lightning from the sky. It struck Watt straight though his head down his spine, blasting radiant sparks through his shoes. It came down so quickly that neither the Poochyena or Watt could of helped it. The two burst into charred flames. The remains of the Poochyena lay in the street next to Watt.

The electric master was dead.

Watt's Pokemon saw what happened and fell into a rage. The Raichu Screeched to the heavens as a giant ball of electricity began sparkling around it. Watt's Lanturn jumped through the air to her trainer's side and nudged his face gently, looked around noticing the zombies slowly move towards her trainer's body and growled quietly. Spark's flew from the Lanturn and streams of Thunderbolts hit in every direction.

A mad look came from Watt's Jolteon as it charged through the crowd snarling his teeth ripping his jaws into the rabid Poochyena and Mightyena. A Pin Missile attack that went in all directions without thought of anyone except for his fallen master speared into everyone near. Jean rolled to the ground, only to be hit in the arm with the sharp shard from the Jolteon's mane. The people screamed as they pulled pins from their bodies, and the zombies only grew angrier.

Mike near the rear of the crowd shielded himself with his arms and ordered his birds to Whirlwind the Jolteon away from the crowd. His Fearow dashed forward screeching blowing a strong gust towards the crowd, only to bring up a couple of the warehouse survivors up with the Jolteon through the air and far down the street, where their faint screams could be heard under the moaning and juicy crunching of the undead.

The gravel began to shake loose from the asphalt as Watt's Electrode sent Sonic Booms and Shock Waves in all directions. Rolling quickly into the center of the crowd, surrounded by the wolf Pokemon, he began to glow angrily not caring that his self sacrifice couldn't save his trainer as it did many times.

Alan noticed the oncoming attack and screamed, "Get Down!!"

Tammy forced Rachael to the ground, who was still weak from the Stun Spore before, and turned around to see Watt's Electrode getting ready to blow.

The Electrode Exploded in a fiery ball, throwing back everyone and everything near it. Ruble from the street felt like blunt shrapnel as it bruised and scratched the skin. Tammy, a few of the survivors, and many of the wolf Pokemon were thrown through the air, hitting the street with road rash against all sides.

Near Watt's corpse, his two unopened Pokeballs began to shake a little. Then with a burst of light, the Electrabuzz and Flaffy came out looking at each other, then to their fallen master. The Lanturn was still striking the enemies left and right as the Electrabuzz slumped towards Watt's corpse. Behind him, the Flaffy followed, stumbling to stay up.

The Electrabuzz looked into the sky praying for mercy. Rain hit his face as the wind blew above. The Flaffy bent his head over, a deep sleepiness was coming over him and he lay down next to his dead master once more. The Electrabuzz followed with a heavy thump on top Watt's corpse.

Alan was in a panic, he couldn't believe his eyes. Watt was his role model. One of the toughest trainers he'd met. Gone, so fast. It was chaos, Alan's three remaining Pokemon knew their trainer was freezing up mentally and couldn't think straight. His Ledian barked orders to a Quilva and Zubat. The Ledian Grabbed Alan and pulled him into the air, just missing a Crunch attack from one of the Poochyena. The Quilva burst a small Ember flame and the Poochyena spun around growling. The Zubat came down with Wings ready, and in one strong slam, the Poochyena was thrust to the side into the panicky fighting and Exploded survivors.

Cesar looked back to the chaos, he had finally run out of plans. "RUN!!!" Cesar and the rest of the followers followed. Cesar had never felt true fear until now. He didn't know what to do. He was lost. Everybody relied on him. The lives of Rustburo depended on him. His Team relied on him. Watt just died. He had never been so overwhelmed in his life.

Then out of all the sound that surrounded the storm and carnage, he heard a small yelp.

"Cesar... don't leave me behind..."

He turned around looking desperately for the voice. Jean ran past him pulling on his arm to hurry, he pushed her aside frustrated. Searching deep in the darkness of the night, he saw a charging Mightyena and just in front of the slow moving horde of bloody, decapitated, undead beings he saw Rachael on the ground passed out with her wet brown hair in the street. Tammy was by her side on the ground charred from the Electrode's Explosion looking Cesar right in the eyes. Their Pokemon fighting to protect their trainers.

He began to run to them, then he saw Alan by himself fighting for his life with his last remaining team. His Zubat was suddenly grabbed by one of the zombies and eaten alive, neck first. He could hear the choking sounds from the Bat Pokemon and the scream from Alan. In the far back, both Chris and Mike now being slowly overtaken. The dark shadows and pale white figures covered in large gashes, dripped their organs onto the street with a thick fluid every time they tried to step.

"JEAN!!!!" Cesar yelled out. Jean looked back, the remaining survivors who they found in the warehouse were long gone down the road and headed towards Devon Corp. She looked down the road where the group was headed and saw the Poochyena-Mightyena Pack chasing close behind them.

"I've got to help them out!!! The pack's after them!!!"

And that's when Cesar knew, it was now or never. Sacrifices had to be made... "WE STICK TOGETHER!!! THAT'S AN ORDER!!!" He screamed almost losing his mind. Frustrated tears welled in his eyes.

Jean knew the gravity of the situation; if they didn't stick as a team, their chances of anything went down dramatically. The helpless people from the warehouse were pretty much dead if she didn't protect them. Looking to her Flareon, the only Pokemon she didn't return to her balls for the retreat. Looking up into the sky she could see the rain drops fall towards her face and the occasional flash of lightning. If it was any other rainy night, she would be in heaven. She used to love a good storm. Small droplets of water everywhere, like hundreds of little prisms gleaming in the night. The howling of the wind could of been soothing, but it wasn't. Looking at Cesar, then to her Flareon, she sighed heavy and ran towards her desperate teammates.

Cesar was now giving it his all, he gritted his teeth and grasped his dagger tightly in his fist. An ear piercing whistle that was close to a dog whistle came from his mouth and his Murkrow came down Dive Bombing in front of him. Calling to his Houndoom, Cesar jumped onto it's back and began to ride towards Rachael and Tammy. His Marowak flanked his left side, while his Golduck trailed in the back.

Alan was now side by side with Tammy holding her up while their Pokemon surrounded them creating a small fortification with Rachael still laying on the street.

Alan's Quilva growled desperately throwing out shots of fire next to Tammy's Geodude, who threw punches and tackled a few zombies at a time. Tammy's Granbull was panting heavily and with one strong slap from a ratty looking Whismur, the bulldog Pokemon fell to the ground moaning in pain. Then in a flash, back into his ball. Tammy's Sandslash roared showing his large claws and jumped into a large crowd of undead Rustburo citizens and spun in a deadly Thrash attack.

Jumping off his Houndoom, Cesar yelled to Tammy to take out Rachael's Persian, and have it carry Rachael on it's back. Then Rachael began to move.

Something was strange about Rachael, Cesar couldn't figure it out. Perhaps it was the movement of her arms as she tried hard to get up.

Alan let go of Tammy to help Rachael up, but as he laid his hand on her shoulder, her skin was cold and pale. Skin that was once warm and soft, clammy. Her head snapped to the side and she tackled Alan to the ground snarling. Tammy jolted up screaming.

"Alan!!" Cesar yelled helplessly.

Alan screamed in pain as Rachael started to crunch her jaws into his hand. He could feel his fingers dislocate and his skin rip off his muscle. Alan punched constantly with his other hand at Rachael muttering whines and attempts to scream. His Ledian rushed towards Rachael with his claws ready, and with a strong driving punch, he knocked Rachael to the ground from the side of her body. Rachael curled in and grabbed one of the Ledian's arms and then his antenna and ripped straight into the Bug Pokemon's neck. A greenish juice ran down her mouth. The Ledian choked a gasp and his head fell limp as his body wiggled hard to stay alive.

Alan pushed himself across the wet street stumbling on his butt while holding his bloody hand. "She bit me!! She bit me!!!" he whined in horror.

Rachael spun around looking at Alan, hungry for more.

Tammy rushed behind Alan to help him up as Cesar jumped off his Houndoom and ran charging with his dagger in hand.

Rachael sprang forward to Alan and Tammy knocking them, on their backs. Tammy was well injured and now her ankle was sprained. She tried hard to crawl away with tears welling up in her eyes. It was so easy to give up, but Tammy forced herself to crawl across the street away from Rachael. Rachael jumped back on top of Alan who was now dazed and in his own nightmare of never seeing his friends back at the university, never seeing his girlfriend back in Goldenrod, and grew calm remembering the time when he received his first Gym Badge from Falkner. A great calm fell over him as he tried to escape the harsh reality of his current situation.

Finally, Alan woke up after his second of shock--his vision was blurry. He thought he could see Rachael above him digging into his stomach pulling out some sort of dark red organ and eating away with his own blood splattering into his face. Then the image of Cesar in a vengeful rage with his dagger cutting away at Rachael then to several other beings around him. Shadows surrounded him snarling and digging downwards towards his stomach. Whatever splashed into his mouth, tasted sour.

"They're here," Winona said.

Professor Oak slammed his hand on the break room table. "Don't Panic! Norman, ready your best Pokemon. Birch, get as much food as you can from the cabinets. Winona."

Winona's face was bleach white and her signature helmet was gone. She was biting her bottom lip and her every limb was shaking. Just in the past two hours, she had seen so much carnage, it made her feel sick. She had seen her best apprentice eaten alive and ripped to shreds. A pussy looking Barboach had come up from under the ground and bit him on his leg, then several more Barboach came from underground and began feasting their fangs into his flesh. Clothes ripped off and blood pouring down his face as one of them cracked into his skull. The screams. The hysteria. People climbing up the many tree houses to escape the army coming up from the ground and surrounding swamps. "Yeah," she replied to Oak.

"Stay calm. We'll be okay."

Winona nodded her head and looked back into the hallway. People were running down the halls and the two trainers that had followed their Gym Leader into the break room peeped their heads into the hallway. "Jack and Melissa are holding them off pretty good, but they wont last any longer if we stay here too long, Winona."

"Winona," Oak said. "Help back up Norman. We all need to evacuate Fortree. I think the best place for us now is the Weather Institute."

Norman threw out a Pokeball, and in a flash appeared his Vigorath, it growled and wildly looking around.

Birch was rummaging through the cabinets and pulled whatever he could into his backpack and followed Oak and the others out the door and into the hallway. Looking back he saw two of Winona's Gym trainers battling away at several Lotads and Barboach, but mostly one large Lombre that seemed unshakened by every aerial attack from the birds.

The Lombre was a sickly dark green with bluish patches all over it's body and top head leaf. A large oozy sore hugged it's leg and bled some thick brown liquid. Bloodshot eyes stared down the two trainers taking one step at a time towards them.

Birch slowed down and looked down another hall, Dr. Juniper was limping his way into the quarantine where he was doing the bulk of his research. "Juniper! Come with us!! We've got to get out of here!"

Dr. Juniper glanced at Birch. Determination filled his soul. The old man's skin was red with sores and his body ached like scissors tearing away at his muscles and ligaments. He was holding all his weight on a wobbly cane and glanced back towards the quarantine. Scowling at Birch with a deadly glare he limped his way towards the locked doors of the quarantine and opened them. Shutting the heavy door behind him, the sounds of bolts cranked.

Birch looked back towards the two trainers holding off the Lombre. The beast had jumped his way onto one of the trainers and was now biting down on his neck. Blood sprayed on the walls of the Poke Center like drippy paint and his screams echoed like a cave. The other trainer screamed as her Machop grabbed the Lombre off the other trainer's neck and into the crowd of slow moving Barboach and Lotad.

Up ahead, Norman's Vigorath stormed in front clearing an easy path towards the exit of the Poke Center. The backdoor lay ahead. Behind him, Norman and Winona followed. Behind them, the other two trainers from Winona's Gym. Oak marched behind and looked back at Birch who was far down the hall stepping backwards mesmerized from the bloody attack of the undead Lombre.

"Birch!" Oak yelled.

Professor Birch looked around like a deer in headlights and ran towards Oak, "Did you see that!" he yelled.

"Break the door down, Vigorath!" Norman ordered sternly.

The backdoor flew open with a powerful kick and the chaos of Fortree was hot in motion. The rain fell hard and the wind was howling above the treetops. The tree house community was never ready for such an attack. People ran across the flimsy bridges to neighbor's houses. To the far right, a small child screamed as he slipped on a walkway high above the ground, falling through the branches, hitting each limb with a crack, and finally disappearing in the bush below. A trainer from the Gym jumped off a tree hanging on to his Swellow to fly to higher limbs. On the ground, Barboach slowly climbed their way up tree trunks followed by Lotads and Lombre. A few Oddish wandered trying to spore trainers who were still on the ground. A villager was climbing higher and higher in the trees as blood hungry Barboach climbed up the trunk. The wind got fiercer the higher the villager climbed and with one wicked snap, the top limb snapped and the villager fell to their death.

Norman looked towards Winona who was in shock to what was happening to her hometown. She looked around with her mouth open and her eyes began to well with tears. She gritted her teeth and growled loudly. Grabbing all her Pokeballs, she threw each one out, one by one.

"Pelliper! Taillow! Swellow! Wingull! Skarmory! Tropius!" Winona screamed maniacally. "Razorwind! Whirlwind! Gust! Iron Wing! Give it all you got!!!"

"Winona!" Norman screamed, trying to hold back the raging gym leader.

Winona ran out with all her Pokemon by her side flying. The Tropius gave a giant gust and lifted high into the air and began to spin, leaves shot out like darts, stabbing several of the Barboach climbing the trunks of the eucalyptus trees. The Skarmory spun headfirst with it's wings out cutting away through the long grass and Slashing a couple pussy Oddish in half. Undead brown chlorophyll spat into the air like a water balloon. The Taillow and Swellow began gusting small Whirlwinds into the grass, uplifting a few of undead swamp Pokemon into the trunks of trees with heavy slams. The Pelliper and Wingull stayed by their trainer's side thrusting Wing Attacks and Water Guns to any foes edging close to their master wailing orders to help save her city.

The ground below the tree houses was mostly fine cut grass, surrounded by the long grass of the swamp. A few dirt trails and a couple cement sidewalks weaved through the water ponds and tall trees. The chaos that consumed the park like atmosphere only seemed to heighten every second. On the boardwalks that went over the swamps, Barboach and Lotads crawled back and forth with red flesh hungry eyes. Behind the Poke Center, the courtyard of the Town Center was littered with several trainers ordering their bird Pokemon complex arieal attacks to thrwart off the slow army surrounding them.

The Barboach seemed to come from nowhere. They crawled out of the muddy ground and out of the grass, where they slithered well hidden and protected under the storm.

Professor Oak looked around, watching as the battle for Fortree seemed to fail as each second passed.

Norman had now taken out his Linoone and Kecleon by the side of his Vigorath, he stood in the center of the town center courtyard with Professor Oak and Professor Birch at his side. His pokemon standing ready for any attack.

Slowly they came, surrounding the courtyard out of the long grass and onto the fine cut grass of the park. Winona snapped her head in every direction seeing the flood of greenish toned Barboach covered in bloody sores slosh out of the mud and grass. They slithered slowly across the ground drooling what looked like a mix of mud and blood.

Then out from behind the trees of the eucalyptus swamp, a giant beast slowly sloshed it's feet with each heavy step. Mud splattered under it's weight as it slowly marched towards the clearing of the courtyard. It's eyes seemed to glow a radioactive green, but under the flickering lights of the city lamps, it reflected a red tone of satanic darkness. The beast moaned quietly coughing with heavy wheezing. The sounds of the coughs sounded like thick balls of phlegm fighting their way out of the beast's lungs. The choking gurgle of the beast brought it to a halt. It stood in the water reed and tall grass staring at the survivors of Fortree within the courtyard blankly. Then after a second of stillness, it marched onward again. It had pale blue skin and dark purple patches; thick dead blood seemed to slowly ooze out of it's pores and nostrils. It stood well over four feet, almost five. Then it growled, and jumped onto the nice cut grass of the courtyard followed by streams of dark green mucus and phlegm stuck to it's body like boas and streamers.

"That Quagsire looks as if it's been dead for well over a day," Oak said staring the beast down.

Birch literally trembled staring at the beast as it roared the death cry that made lions seem insignificant. "We're not going to make it, are we Oak?" Birch said, gulping a big choking ball in his throat. He felt like he was going to hyperventilate and his chest felt like it was being squeezed tightly with several belts.

Norman looked at Oak for support, "We'll make it out of here alive. I'm not going to go down like this! Never!" Norman spat into the grass below him and strode boldly next to Winona who now was ordering her bird Pokemon closer to her so the Barboach couldn't attack her.

Ordering numerous Quick Attacks to his Linoone, Norman had struck several Barboach to the ground. But they slowly came back up to their crawl as if nothing had hurt them. The Kecleon disappeared into it's cloak and began to sneak between Barboach camouflaged, only to Seismic Toss them back into the swamps. But Norman's Vigorath stood eyeing the large Quagsire down snarling, ready for it's attack.

Oak looked around and quickly thought were they had to go. The only place that could of been safe now. The only place where they could grab hold to some idea of what was really going on with the epidemic. He looked to Birch silently, and Birch knew what the wise Professor was thinking.

"We have to go," Oak said to Birch.

Birch shook his head, "You can't be serious... It's just too far, and I don't think we can make it in time..."

The Quagsire stepped forward followed by slow moving Barboach. It seemed like it was grinning at Winona and Norman. It's red bloodshot eyes, an endless void of darkness that thrived off fear.

"We have no other choice," Oak said firmly.

Luke brought his Ponyta back into it's ball and turned his head from the cremation he began for his best friend. He loved her. They thought of growing old together and having a good time as seniors. Watching each other grow in their careers to heights they never thought they could achieve. But now those thoughts were dead. Dry and nearly forgotten. Withering away as Luke's feelings began to feel dry. The death of his best friend was the end of his emotion. The near death of his soul.

Without Naomi, Luke knew there had to be no one else in the world that truly cared for him like she did. Loneliness crept in and the fight to save Hoenn seemed pointless. Even if he escaped alive, he'd still be outcasted from society for being a Rocket. If he died, he'd be with his best friend again in the possibility of the afterlife. If he died, he wouldn't have to live in fear from the darkness of the unknown anymore. The plague that shrouded Hoenn. If he sacrificed himself against the undead plague, he wouldn't have to live alone anymore. His pointless life would come to a halt, and the responsibilities of dealing with death would be over. Suicide was not dark, but the light that gave him happiness once more.

Beth looked at Luke and vaguely remembered her memory of when her best friend died years ago. She gave Luke a hug.

Luke was astonished. He never saw the gesture coming. Since he didn't know Beth at all, he didn't expect anything but the coldness that the rest of the world had given him his whole life. The rejection and the cycle of the outcast. That was why he was a Rocket. He had no other choice. Nobody wanted him around. Nobody cared what he did with his life. Nobody cared if he got caught and went to prison for life. And nobody cared if he died. Naomi did, but she was dead now. And that one hug from Beth was all he needed to live another day. The hopelessness of Hoenn, and the suicidal feelings of loneliness were lifted with that hug. Beth's hug

Beth's hug wasn't loose or tight. It was warm. It was genuine.

Luke hugged her and closed his eyes, and quietly said, "Thanks."

Beth let go and smiled at Luke, she had made him feel better. "Follow me," she said. She let out her Ariados, and it hissed quietly looking at her signaling forward.

Luke followed looking around in the darkness of the Safari Zone. The entire park seemed dead except for the bonfire behind them. It was eerie looking for life under the green glow of the clouds.

Beth stopped in her tracks and looked back towards Luke. "Do you think your Pigeot can fly us both through the storm long enough? I don't think our luck will hold up for very long on foot."

Luke shrugged. Brought out Naomi's old Pigeot, and the bird Pokemon noticed the flames rising up in the distance and with his sharp vision noticed Naomi burn away. He jolted his head to Luke in shock. Luke patted the large bird on the neck, "I need you to be strong, Lightfoot. We can't let all of Hoenn become like this."

Beth brought her Ariados back into it's ball and looked into the greenish clouds of the unearthly storm. She thought she could she a shadow creep towards Naomi's cremation. "We have to take off now," she said coolly. "We've attracted too much attention to ourselves."

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," a boy with brown spiked hair said greeting his conference table of famous trainers and local Pokemon celebrities. "I'm sure most of you know me already, but for the few that don't. My name is Gary Oak. My Uncle is the famous Professor Oak from Kanto. I'm also the Gym Leader of the Veridian City Gym. You may of heard in the news that Hoenn is currently undergoing a deadly epidemic which is jumping species and causing panic among the local government." Pulling a map from the board behind him down, it showed Hoenn and it's surrounding islands. "You may also know from the news that a large typhoon has consumed most of the island state coincidentally with the epidemic. A, 'Storm of the Century,' as the media labels it seems to be hitting hard where the epidemic seems worst; here, here, and here. My sister Daisy, and my uncle Professor Oak have both lost contact with me since the storm began, and from what I heard from Daisy about the epidemic, I'm very worried about their safety and the safety of everybody else in Hoenn."

"Get to the point, kid," a noticeably buff man with military dog tags around his neck said. He was wearing army gear and a camo tank top under his green over shirt. This was Lt. Surge.

"Sorry," Gary said. "What I want to do is create an elite team of the best search and rescue personnel mixed with the best Pokemon trainers to help me find my uncle and sister, bring them back to Kanto, and help whoever we can along the way. I know most of you are very busy, so I don't expect all of you to comply. This may be a very dangerous mission."

"I'm busy. But I'm curious. What are you up against?" a timid looking girl with long brown hair said quietly.

"I don't know, Jasmine. Supposedly the virus is causing it's victims to come back to life after they die, stronger than ever."

"I really don't like the sound of that," a Gym Leader by the name of Bugsy said out loud.

"C'mon, you wuss," Lt. Surge said harshly. "I don't know what the rest of you are gonna' do, but I'm in. I've seen war, I've seen my friends die in my arms, and I've seen people break under pressure. This type of operation is right up my alley. I'll support you one-hundred and ten percent, Gary."

"Thanks, Lt." Gary smiled.

"What do say, Master Koga?" Lt. Surge said to a dark man sitting in the corner of the room. He was wearing a dark suit and black tie. He was tapping the tips of his finger tips together and finally held both of his hands in one fist and thought deeply.

"I don't like the sound of it either," Koga said. "I've heard rumors and claims on the news and it doesn't sound like anything I've seen. But--"

Interrupting Koga, a man with aviator sunglasses on smiled and said. "You got me at search and rescue, Gary. I don't care what's ahead. They need us in Hoenn. I'm in."

"Thank you, Wings. I knew I could count on you." Gary looked around the long table filled with trainers and scientists.

A dirty looking man in a trenchcoat laughed lightly and smiled, "Coming back from the dead. You got to be kidding me. I'm totally in, captain."

"Thank you, Morty. Anybody else?"

"I'm in," a young man with long blue hair and a brown leather jacket said. This was Falkner.

"Me too," a very pretty young girl with short black hair said. This was Erica.

"I'm ready," another tough looking man with a very strong build said. This was Blackbelt Buck.

A girl with long red hair smiled coyly at Gary, "Count me in." This was Ninja Master Maria.

"Fine," a mysterious looking woman with elegant features said coldly looking at Gary straight in the eyes without any sign of emotion. This was Sabrina.

The room lay silent, there were still a lot of people in the room and they all looked at each other expectantly.

"Is that it?" Gary said suddenly disappointed. "It'll do I guess."

A few of the members of the board nodded.

Finally, Koga slapped his hand on the table and looked at Gary, glanced at Lt. Surge who was laughing under his breath at him. "I'm in, I guess."

"That settles it then," Gary said. "The rest of you are dismissed. For the current team, gather up as many Pokemon you can, and your best. I don't want anybody falling behind or becoming a burden to the team. I've got a private jet that leaves here in the next five hours. Don't be late."

The meeting was soon closed and the best of the best began planning their route though Hoenn.

Gary, Lt. Surge, Koga, Sabrina, Buck, Maria, Erica, Wings, Morty, and Falkner all climbed aboard the small jet parked in a field near the Viridian Gym. The plane slowly roared as it revved it's engines and slowly moved forward. The Kanto-Jhoto Team was formed.


End file.
